Her Angel Of Music
by phantomfan1911
Summary: Modern Day AU. Things are going great for Seventeen year old Christine Daae until tragedy changes everything. Eventual EC. Please R & R!
1. The Unthinkable

**Okay, so I totally have writers block when it comes to the next chapter of _Angel_ but this story idea totally popped into my head and I had nothing else to do so I thought that I would at least get the first chapter out and see what you guys think. I'm stuck on my ship right now and can't go anywhere…so what else do I have to do but write fan fiction. So here is my new story. It's a Modern Day story. I really hope that you guys like it. It will be eventually an E/C story but for the first couple of chapters, it's going to look like an R/C story. So please, bear with me. Please don't forget to leave me a review!

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**Her Angel of Music**

**By: Phantomfan1911**

**Disclaimer: Now, if I owned POTO, do you think that I would still be in the Navy? I do, however, own Isabella.**

**Summary: Modern Day AU. Things are going great for seventeen-year-old Christine until a tragedy changes everything.

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**Chapter One: The Unthinkable**

"So are you going to the dance tonight?" Meg Giry asked.

"I don't know. No one has asked me, and I'm not sure I can even go. Dad's been pretty strict on me lately," Christine Daae replied, shaking out her mahogany curls.

Meg sighed. Unfournately, Christine was right. Ever since her mother had died back when Christine was seven, Charles Daae had been protective of his daughter, sometimes not letting her go out with her friends or to some school events. Now that Christine was seventeen, his rule was as strict as ever.

"I'll tell you what. Let me talk to Dad and see if he'll let me go. You don't have anyone to go with right?"

Her blonde haired friend nodded. "Yeah, that's right. Not that no one asked me. I just felt like waiting for the right person," she replied.

'_Like Raoul de Chagny,'_ she thought to herself. Meg was in love with the handsome blonde transfer student ever since she had first laid eyes upon him a year ago.

Christine laughed. "Come on Meg! I know that you've got this massive crush on Raoul! It's totally obvious!"

"Is it that obvious? Does he know? Oh my god I'm so embarrassed!"

"Relax Meg, he doesn't know that you have the hots for him. He just thinks that you like him as a friend that's all. But it is too bad that he's going to the dance with Isabella. That girl is too stuck up for her own good."

"You're telling me. But anyways, why did you want to know if I was going to the dance with anyone?"

"_Because_ I can tell Dad that I'm going to the dance with you and stay the night at your place tonight. I'm sure that your mom wouldn't mind having me over. I'm like a daughter to her," Christine replied.

Meg nodded. "That is true. Mom is always asking me when I'm going to bring you over again. But do you think that your Dad will go for it?"

"He should. Why don't you drive over to my house and we will find out."

Without another word, Meg carefully turned her car on to Government Avenue and into Christine's driveway. Gathering up her things, Christine hopped out of the car and headed towards the front door of her home. "Dad? I'm home," she called upon entering the home.

"I'm in the kitchen sweetheart."

She made her way into the Daae's spacious kitchen and saw Charles Daae putting the milk carton back into the refrigerator. He looked up at his daughter and smiled. "Hi sweetheart. How was your day?" he asked, kissing her on the cheek.

"Oh you know, the usual. Nothing interesting," she replied, picking up a carrot stick from the counter and dipping it into the open ranch dip container. "But there is something that I wanted to ask you."

"Oh really? Well ask it quick, I have a meeting in LA that I need to make."

She crunched into the carrot stick, carefully thinking of how she could word this. "Can I go to the dance with Meg tonight?"

"Oh Christine, you know how I feel about dances," he replied.

"Please Dad? I'm seventeen now and it's not like I'm going with a boy, I'm going with Meg. And I'll stay the night at Meg's house too. I know that Mrs. Giry would love to have me over. Meg's always telling me how much her mom talks about me. It's just this once. Pretty please with sugar on top?" Christine was on the verge of begging. She really wanted to go to this dance.

Charles sighed. "Alright. You can go. I'm going to be in LA overnight anyways so it's probably a good idea if you stay over at the Giry's anyways."

"Oh thank you Dad! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Christine exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"Am I to assume that Meg is outside in her car waiting for my answer?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah, that's right. I almost forgot!"

She ran outside and over to Meg's car. "Meg! He said yes! Come in and help me pack!"

"Cool!" Opening the driver's side door, Meg got out of her car and ran into the house behind Christine. "Hi Mr. Daae! Thanks for letting Christine go to the dance tonight!" she called out.

"Meg, Christine, come in here for a moment," Charles called from the kitchen.

The two girls entered the kitchen and stood across from him. "Yes Daddy?" Christine asked.

"Alright, I'm going to be in LA overnight, but you have your house key incase you need to get in the house for anything. My cell phone will be on if you need me for anything, but I will be in a meeting until around ten tonight. Have fun sweetheart. I would really love to stay and chat some more but if I don't leave now, I'm going to be late."

With that, he kissed Christine goodbye and headed out the door. A few moments later, the two girls could hear his car starting up and backing out of the driveway.

"I can't believe he said you could go! That's cool!" Meg exclaimed.

"I know! Come on, you have to help me pack."

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Half an hour later, the two girls emerged from the house, and got into the car and headed towards the Giry home.

"This is so much fun! Now I know what I've been missing all these years!" Christine yelled a few hours later, in the ladies room of the auditorium, where the dance was being held.

"I know! I've missed having you at these dances Christine! They aren't any fun without my best friend!" Meg replied.

Suddenly, a tall, red headed girl entered the room, dressed in a beautiful midnight blue strapless dress. "Oh, hi Isabella. How's Raoul?" Christine asked the new comer, trying to be polite.

"We're fine Christine, thank you for asking. Aren't you here with anyone?" Isabella replied.

"Yeah! I'm here with Meg!" Christine said, grabbing on to her best friends arm.

"Oh, I see," Isabella said. "Well Meg, Raoul told me to tell you hi. He saw you earlier by the punch bowl."

Meg blushed a deep red. "Oh, well please tell him that I said hi," she replied.

Turning to look in the mirror, Isabella took out a small compact and reapplied her lip-gloss. "Well girls, it was fun, but I must be getting back to Raoul. Have a good night."

Once she was gone, Meg let out the breath that she had been holding. "God, I can't stand that girl! She thinks that she's the queen of the universe!" she said.

Christine laughed. "Yeah, I know. Just because she was voted Homecoming Queen and she the captain of the cheerleading squad AND she's the junior class president she thinks that she owns everyone!"

The girls laughed, then exited the bathroom and returned to the dance floor.

"Alright, now! Let's slow it down a little bit! Ladies, grab your man and hold him close!" the DJ announced as a slow song started to play over the speakers.

Christine looked around and saw Raoul de Chagny standing by himself in a corner. Turning to where Meg was previously standing, she saw that her friend had disappeared and was off dancing with Joseph Williams. Turning back, she saw that Raoul was right next to her.

"Hi, Christine right? You're Meg's friend. I'm Raoul. Would you like to dance?" he asked, offering her his hand.

She smiled and nodded. "Sure, that sounds wonderful," she said, taking his hand and allowing him to lead her upon the dance floor.

Raoul placed one hand on her shoulder and the other gently upon her waist and started to lead her in a dance. "So, you're a junior too? I haven't seen you in any of my classes," he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, Meg and I are in all the same classes, and we are in chorus and take a ballet class after school too."

"Chorus? Wow, so you must be a wonderful singer then."

Christine blushed a little. "Well, I do try, but there are many more who are better than I am. But tell me about yourself. I know that you're new here."

"Well, I'm originally from San Francisco. My family moved here because my father's company moved its headquarters. I'm sure that you've heard of de Chagny Enterprises?" he asked.

"Of course. Just about everything in this town is either built or run by them," she replied. "My father works for your company. In the marketing department."

"Does he now? What's his name?"

"Charles Daae."

"Oh! I have heard of him. He plays violin also doesn't he?"

Christine nodded. "When he has time, yes he does. He's wonderful on the violin, but he really doesn't play very much. Not since my mother died."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about that," he replied.

Suddenly, Christine felt her cell phone vibrate against her stomach. Parting from Raoul, she opened her bag and pulled out her phone. Not recognizing the number, she answered it timidly. "Hello?"

"Is this Christine Daae?" the voice on the other end asked.

She really couldn't hear what they were saying over the music. "Hang on a minute," Christine shouted in the phone. "Excuse me Raoul but I have to take this."

"Of course, here. Let me help you," he replied, taking her by the hand. He led her out into the lobby of the auditorium where the music wasn't as loud. "I'll just stand over here and wait for you to finish."

She smiled and then turned her attention back to the phone. "Hello?"

"Is this Christine Daae?" the voice on the other end asked again.

"Yes, this is she."

"Miss Daae, this is Gabrielle Sanders down at San Diego General. I'm afraid that there's been an accident."

"An accident? What kind of accident?" Christine cried into the phone.

"It's your father, Charles Daae. He was in a car accident on I-5 miss. He's not expected to make it through the night."

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**Okay, there's the first chapter. Please don't forget to read and review!**

**I remain your obedient authoress,**

**Phantomfan1911**


	2. Unexpected Loss

**Wow! I have only gotten two reviews so far but they have given me a lot of confidence going into this next chapter. Many thanks go out to _HunterJumper15_ and _Hun_ for submitting my first two reviews! Thanks guys! You rock!**

**I'm glad that you guys like my story so far. Once again, I am confined on the ship so I thought that I would get another chapter out today. I'll probably get Chapter Three out before the end of the day at the rate I'm going. Anyways, here's Chapter Two. I hope that you guys like it!

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**Disclaimer: Blah, Blah, Blah. If I owned POTO then I might not be in the Navy and I'd be filthy, stinking rich! I do however own Gabrielle, Doctor Collins and Isabella.**

**Summary: See Chapter One

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_From Chapter One…_

"_It's your father, Charles Daae. He was in a car accident on I-5 miss. He's not expected to make it through the night."

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**Chapter Two: Unexpected Loss**

Christine's face went white. "Wha-What?"

"I'm so sorry Miss Daae, but your father has been asking for you. Is there anyway you can get down here?" Gabrielle asked.

"Yeah, I mean yes! I'll be there as soon as possible. Thank you…"

She closed the phone and just stood there for a minute, as if trying to process the information. Raoul noticed that she had finished her phone call and walked over to her. "Christine? Is everything alright?" he asked, concerned.

"My…my father's been in an accident. He's in the hospital," she said quietly. "He's not expected to make it through."

"Oh Christine, I'm so sorry. Is there anything that I can do?"

She looked up into his eyes. "Yeah, can you take me to the hospital?"

Raoul nodded. "Of course. Just let me go get my coat." He noticed a nearby bench. "Why don't you sit here and I'll be right back. Did you bring a wrap or something?"

Christine shook her head and Raoul hurried off.

"There you are!"

Looking up, Christine saw Meg running towards her. "I saw you dancing with Raoul! Isn't he cute? So what did he say about me? Anything good? Come on Chrissy, you have to tell me!" she said, all at once.

It was then that Meg noticed Christine's face. "Chrissy? Is everything okay?"

"No…it's not Meg. It's…" Christine trailed off.

"Come on Christine, let's get going," Raoul said returning with his coat and car keys in hand.

Meg looked up and blushed slightly at the sight of Raoul. "Meg, I really can't explain right now. I have to go."

Not another word was said. Christine stood up and allowed Raoul to lead her to his car. Only when she was safely inside the car did Christine pull out her cell phone and open up a new text message to Meg. _Dad in wreck. Not xpected to live thrgh nite._

She hurriedly typed out the message and hit send, the closed her phone and looked out the window as the landmarks passed by. Suddenly, her phone went off with a reply from Meg. Christine quickly read the message. _OMG! I'm coming w u!_

The drive to San Diego General Hospital seemed to last forever. Christine played out many scenarios in her mind as to how the accident could have happened since her dad had said that he was going to be in LA overnight. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the car pull to a stop. "Christine? We're here," Raoul said gently. "Do you want me to come in with you?"

"Yes please. I don't want to see him by myself and I know that it's going to take Meg a few more minutes to get here."

Raoul didn't need any more words. He got out of the car and went around to open her door and help her out. Together, they walked into the hospital and up to the reception desk. "Hi, my name is Christine Daae. My father was brought here. He was in a car accident," she said to the receptionist.

"Yes, he's in ICU on the third floor. Just go up to the nurses station there and they will be more than happy to point the way," the receptionist replied.

Christine nodded her thanks and headed towards a nearby elevator and her and Raoul traveled up to the third floor. As they approached the nurse's station, the brunette nurse there looked up and smiled. "Miss Daae?" she asked.

Christine nodded.

"I'm Gabrielle. We spoke on the phone. If you would just follow me I'll be more than happy to take you to your father's room." She glanced at Raoul. "But I'm afraid that…"

"He's coming with me. I don't think that I can handle seeing my father by myself," Christine interrupted.

"Of course Miss Daae. This way please."

Gabrielle led them down the hallway until they finally reached their destination. She opened the door to reveal Charles Daae's room. "Daddy!" Christine cried out, rushing to her father's bedside.

"I'll just leave you two alone," Gabrielle said, closing the door.

Christine flung herself upon her father and hugged him tightly. "Oh Daddy! How could this have happened to you?"

Charles slowly opened his eyes and weakly hugged his daughter. "My precious little girl," he said weakly.

"I love you so much Daddy."

"Christine, listen to me. I know that I don't have much time. But there is something that I must tell you."

"I'm listening Daddy."

"When I'm in heaven child, I will send you an angel, an Angel of Music."

"Shhh, don't talk like that Dad. You're going to get better and then we will go home and you can play the violin for me," she said, tears streaming down her face.

"I want you to use your talent Christine. Use that beautiful voice that you have, the voice that your mother gifted you with," Charles whispered, touching his daughter's cheek.

"I will Daddy, I promise."

Raoul came up behind Christine and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

The door opened and a doctor in a white lab coat entered the room. "Miss Daae? Hi, I'm Doctor Collins. Could I speak to you for a moment?"

"Of course," Christine replied. "I'll be right there." She turned her attention back to her father. "Daddy, I'll be right back okay? Hang in there. I'll only be gone for a moment."

Standing up, she made her way outside in the hallway. "How…How did this happen?" she asked.

"Well, apparently your father was traveling south on I-5 heading back into San Diego when another car jumped the barrier and crashed into his head-on. We all were surprised that he made it out alive. His injuries are extensive Miss Daae. We did all that we could, but I'm afraid that all we can do now is make your father as comfortable as possible," Doctor Collins replied.

"How much time does he have left?"

"Not long I'm afraid."

Suddenly, footsteps were heard running down the hall and a few seconds later, Meg slid around the corner and rushed towards Christine.

"I'm here Chrissy! I'm here! Sorry it took me so long! I got stuck in traffic. How is he?" she said all in one breath.

"It's not good Meg. He's not going to make it," Christine cried.

Meg took Christine into her arms. "Let it out Christine. Just let it all out."

Christine burst into tears. She was only seventeen and was on the verge of losing both her parents. "What am I going to do Meg? He's all I have left in the world."

"Shh… it will be okay Christine. We will take care of everything. Don't you worry now, okay? We will take care of everything."

Meg held Christine close to her and rubbed her back as Christine cried. Suddenly, a loud noise came from Charles' room. "Oh no! Not now!" Christine cried out.

Doctor Collins rushed into the room. "He's flat lining! We're losing him!"

There was nothing Christine could do but stand back and watch the man that she loved most in the world slip away from her forever.

"Goodbye Daddy. I love you."

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**Okay, so yeah…don't kill me yet! Erik is going to make an appearance soon I promise! But the next chapter will focus mainly on Christine's grief and pain at the loss of her father. Please don't forget to submit a review!**

**I remain your obedient authoress,**

**Phantomfan1911**


	3. Pain and Heartache

**Okay! One more chapter out of me before I call it a day. So far, I've gotten two reviews on chapter two. Hopefully you guys like this next chapter and will drop me another review. There's also a surprise at the end of this chapter!

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_From Chapter Two…_

_There was nothing Christine could do but stand back and watch the man that she loved most in the world slip away from her forever._

"_Goodbye Daddy. I love you."

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**Chapter Three: Pain and Heartache**

"It was only yesterday that we stood in this very kitchen and talked to him. I just can't believe that he's gone," Christine said at breakfast the next morning.

Instead of staying the night at the Giry's like she had originally planned, Christine and Meg slept at the Daae house. Raoul had made sure that the two girls had gotten there safely last night and left with the promise to return the next day.

"I know, this is made out to be such a terrible weekend. I'm so sorry Christine. I just wish that there was something that I could do to make the pain go away," Meg replied, taking a bite out of a piece of bacon. In an effort to help Christine feel a little bit better, Meg had offered to cook a breakfast of bacon and eggs that morning.

"There's nothing that you can do Meg. I just have to deal with the fact that I'm an orphan now. My parents are dead. I wonder who will take care of me. I know that Dad had a living will, but his lawyer hasn't called yet to have me come down for the reading."

"Probably cause it's so soon after his death Chrissy. I'm sure that they want to give you some time to grieve and plan the funeral."

Christine nodded and pushed her eggs around on her plate.

"But you should really eat something Chrissy. It's not healthy for you not to eat."

"I'm sorry Meg. It was nice of you to make me breakfast. I guess I'm just not hungry right now," Christine replied, shoving her plate away. "I think that I'm just going to go lie down right now."

She stood up and made her way to her room, where she promptly flopped down upon her bed and buried her face in her pillow. Once more, the tears stared to fall.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. "Oh hi Raoul," Christine heard Meg say from the entryway. "She's in her room. I'm sure that she'd like to see you."

Moment later, Raoul knocked on Christine's door. "Come in," she said softly.

"Christine? Are you alright?" Raoul asked.

"I just can't believe that he's gone Raoul. I'm so sorry to have to put you through all this. I barely know you."

He smiled. "I understand Christine, but believe me, I'm more than happy to help you out. Here, I brought you some flowers in hopes that they would cheer you up."

She turned to sit up and was greeted by a bouquet of beautiful lilacs. "They're beautiful Raoul. Thank you," she said, gently taking the flowers from him. Burying her nose deep into a bloom, she inhaled the sweet sent. "I think that I will just go put these in some water."

"Oh please, let me do that Christine," Meg said from the doorway. "You get some rest."

"That sounds like a good idea," Christine replied.

Raoul looked at her with concern. "Actually Christine, there's another reason I came over this morning. Since your father's lawyer was employed with de Chagny Enterprises, we have his last will and testament at the main office. It's being looked over as we speak and will be read to you when you are ready," he said. "I would also like to offer any help that I can in the planning of the funeral."

"Thank you Raoul. I do appreciate everything that you have done for me."

She stood up and handed the flowers over to Meg who took them into the kitchen and began her search for a vase.

"I think that he would just want a small service, just immediate family and our closest friends."

"Did he have any brothers or sisters?"

Christine shook her head. "No, my father was an only child. So was my mother. So that means that it will be just me and the Giry's at the service. Grandma and Grandpa died a few years back."

"If that's what you want then so be it. I'll begin making the arrangements," Raoul said, standing up.

Taking hold of her favorite stuffed tiger, Christine brought it close to her chest and held it tight. Her father had bought her the stuffed animal right after her mother had died and it always helped calm her down. "I miss you so much Daddy. Why did you have to leave me?"

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A few days later, a small group gathered at a nearby church. "We have gathered in this house of mourning in memory of Charles Daae who departed this earth only a few short days ago. Charles led a long and happy life and was guided in this life by his daughter Christine. Now he has departed this earth to rejoin the lord." 

Christine sat in the front pew next to Raoul and Meg. She wore a simple black dress and her eyes were rimmed with red. "This is so hard," she whispered. "I can't believe that I'm saying goodbye to my father. He's the only family that I had left in the world."

Raoul took hold of her hand and held it tight, wanting to make her feel better.

"I just want this whole thing to be over with," Christine said.

A few minutes later, she got her wish. The service concluded and Christine walked up to her father's casket and said her final goodbyes. "Goodbye Daddy. I'll always be your little girl."

She turned and exited the church, Raoul and Meg on her heels. "Christine, can I drive you home? I've arranged for your father's lawyer to meet us there to read your father's will," Raoul said.

"That sounds wonderful. Thank you Raoul."

The trio got into Raoul's car and made the trip to the Daae house. Once they got there, Raoul helped Christine out of the car and into the house. Moments later, Thomas Bryant, Charles' lawyer arrived.

"Thank you for seeing me Miss Daae, and might I add my condolences for your loss," he said, setting his briefcase up on the dining room table.

Christine nodded. "Thank you for coming Mr. Bryant."

"Well, I won't waste any time. I'll just get right down to it."

He pulled out a long piece of paper and began to read. "I hereby let it be known that I, Charles William Daae, being of sound mind, do make and declare this to be my last Will and Testament thereby revoking all my prior wills at anytime made. For my minor child, Christine Elizabeth Daae, as the sole parent, I hereby appoint Annette Giry as Guardian. In the event that the Guardian is unable or unwilling to care for Christine, I hereby appoint Phillip de Chagny as Guardian."

There was no shock there. Christine expected Mrs. Giry to be appointed as her guardian. But she knew that it wouldn't last long. Her eighteenth birthday was fast approaching and she would be able to live on her own.

"As for my estate, I hereby give all of my worldly possessions and assets to my daughter Christine. May she use it to aid in following her dreams."

Mr. Bryant folded the paper back up and placed it back into his briefcase. "There it is Miss Daae. Do you have any questions?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, not at this time. Thank you for coming. I'm sure that you can show yourself out."

He nodded. "Of course. Have a good day."

Christine turned to Meg. "So when can I start moving in?" she asked.

Meg shook her head. "Not anytime soon I'm afraid. We don't have a spare room and my room is too small," she said. "But I don't think that Mom will have any problem with you living here for the time being. It's not like you live hours away. It's only two minutes by car."

"Good. I don't think that I could leave the house right now."

Raoul smiled slightly. "We're all here for you Christine. If there's anything you need at all, just ask."

"Thanks Raoul. I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate all that you have done for me in the past week."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Who could that be?" Christine asked, heading towards the door.

She opened the door to find a tall, dark haired man standing on the other side. He was strikingly handsome. But there was one thing that made him stand out; A white mask covered the right side of his face.

"Miss Daae? I'm Erik Destler. It's a pleasure to meet you."

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**Yay! Erik's debut!** **Please read and review!**

**I remain your obident authoress,**

**Phantomfan1911**


	4. The Arrangement

**My apologies for the time it took me to post this chapter. Work took hold of me and then some other things. But here is the next chapter. Once again, much thanks to my reviewers. Without you, I wouldn't continue writing this story. Hope you like this!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned them, then I wouldn't be in the Navy and they would be my little puppets forever! Ha Ha!**

**Summary: See Chapter One.**

_From Chapter Three:_

_She opened the door to find a tall, dark haired man standing on the other side. He was strikingly handsome. But there was one thing that made him stand out; A white mask covered the left side of his face._

"_Miss Daae? I'm Erik Destler. It's a pleasure to meet you."_

**Chapter Four: The Arrangement**

Christine stood there for a moment, staring at the man who was standing on her doorstep. It took her a moment but she finally snapped out of her trance. "Hello Mr. Destler. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't know you. How do you know me?"

He smiled. "Oh, I knew your father right before he died. He had hired me to give you voice lessons, but we weren't supposed begin our lessons until after your birthday. It was supposed to be a surprise. When I heard about your father's death, I decided to come and pay my respects," he replied.

"Oh, my…well, this is a surprise. Won't you please come in?" Christine said, stepping aside to allow Erik access into the house.

"Why thank you Miss Daae."

He walked into the home and removed his jacket. Placing it over the back of a chair, he walked into the living room to find Meg and Raoul standing there staring at him.

"Mr. Destler, this is Meg Giry, my best friend and Raoul de Chagny. Guys, this is Erik Destler," Christine said, making introductions.

"Christine, who is this guy?" Raoul asked.

"He's my music teacher."

"Your what?"

"Apparently Dad arranged for me to take voice lessons. It was supposed to be a surprise for my birthday. But when Erik heard about Dad's death, he decided that he would come and pay his respects."

"Well Mr. Destler, you've paid your respects, now I suggest you leave Miss Daae alone. She's been through enough lately," Raoul said, looking at Erik sharply.

"Mr. De Chagny is it? I don't think that is a decision for you to make. I actually need to speak to Miss Daae alone so if you don't mind," Erik replied.

"Guys, do you mind?" Christine asked.

"Come on Raoul. You can help me with something," Meg said, pulling on Raoul's arm.

He pulled his arm away from Meg's grasp and walked over to Christine. "You don't know anything about this guy and you're going to talk to him by yourself? Are you insane? He could be a rapist or something," he said, grabbing her arm.

"Raoul, I'll be fine. Really I will. If I need you guys I promise that I will call for you. Okay? Just go with Meg please. For me?"

He sighed. "Alright. We will be just down the hall in your room okay?"

"Okay, if I need you I'll call for you."

Meg managed to drag Raoul away from the pair and down to Christine's room, closing the door before he had the chance to utter another word.

Turning her attention to Erik, Christine smiled. "Well, now Mr. Destler, I'm sure that there was some other reason that you came to visit me, other than to pay your respects. I do appreciate you stopping by though. Thank you."

"Oh please, call me Erik, and you're right. There is another reason that I stopped by," he replied. "While your father had made the arrangements for your voice lessons, he had yet to pay me for them."

Her face fell. "Oh, I see. Well then I guess…"

"Don't look so crestfallen Christine. I still want to give you lessons. For free. Your father told me about your natural given talent. I only want to perfect what god has already given you."

Upon hearing this, Christine looked up and smiled. "Really? You mean it? I've always wanted to sing more. I just never got around to it. My schoolwork kept preventing it."

"Oh I understand completely. So how about this, every day, after school, I will come and pick you up and take you to my studio for your lessons, which will last for about two hours. You will have weekends off, unless you feel that you need extra lessons," he said. "Does that sound okay to you?"

She nodded excitedly. "That sounds just perfect! Thank you!"

"Very well. We will begin our lessons tomorrow if that's alright with you."

"That sounds wonderful. So where do you want me to meet you tomorrow afternoon?"

"I will send my car to pick you up along with my driver, Louis. You should be able to notice him right away. He is a tall, skinny man with glasses and big ears. I will have him meet you right at the main entrance. But just in case, do you have a cell phone?"

Christine nodded. "I do, it was a gift from my father for my last birthday. He said that it would help him keep in touch with me so he could get a hold of me any time he wanted."

Erik laughed. "I see. Well then, let me get your number and I'll give it to Louis and if he can't find you."

She nodded and they exchanged numbers. "Then I'll see you tomorrow afternoon then."

"Sounds good. Well, I should be getting going. Thank you for your time Christine and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow for our first lesson."

He grabbed his jacket off of the chair and made his way to the door. "Have a wonderful day Christine," he said as he walked out the door.

Christine closed the door behind him and then leaned against the door and giggled wildly.

"Chrissy? What's going on?" Meg asked, coming out of Christine's room.

"He's giving me voice lessons…for free Meg! I can't believe it!"

**Please read and review!**

**I remain your obedient authoress,**

**Phantomfan1911**


	5. Lessons

**I got a lot of positive feedback on the last chapter. Thanks to all who reviewed! I did have one question on one of my reviews though. _Why would Erik offer free lessons to Christine if he had never heard her sing before?_ I did leave a small hole there, but it will be answered in a later chapter. I do hope that you guys like this chapter.**

**Summary: See Chapter One**

**Disclaimer: Okay, if you guys haven't figured it out already, I don't own POTO! If I did, then my laptop would actually work (the hard drive is fried. I use the ship's computers to write and publish these chapters) and I wouldn't be worrying about having enough money for rent and food and bills. I'm just a poor sailor with the love of POTO in my heart…along with the deep love that I have for my own angel, my fiancé.**

_From Chapter Four:_

"_Chrissy? What's going on?" Meg asked, coming out of Christine's room._

"_He's giving me voice lessons…for free Meg! I can't believe it!"_

**Chapter Five: Lessons**

The school day couldn't end fast enough for Christine. English drug on and on as her teacher rambled on about _Romeo and Juliet_, and then when she got to History class, she thought that her teacher wouldn't stop talking about World War Two. Finally, the torture was over and the bell rang to signal the end of the day. She practically flew out of her last class and over to her locker to gather her books. As she stood at her locker putting her books into her bag, Raoul came up to her.

"So you're still going?"

Christine looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean 'you're still going'?"

"Oh come on Christine! You know exactly what I mean! How much do you know about this guy? He just showed up on your doorstep yesterday offering you free voice lessons? He could be trouble. I think that I should go with you."

She shook her head. "No Raoul. You're not going. It's sweet that you're worried about me and I appreciate it, but there's no need to worry about me. I'll be fine. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

With that, she shut her locker door and made her way for the main entrance to the school, leaving a flabbergasted Raoul behind.

As she exited the building, she saw a tall, skinny man with big ears dressed in a suit standing off to one side. "Excuse me sir? Are you Louis?"

"That all depends. Are you Miss Daae?" he asked.

She nodded. "I am."

"Then, yes I am Louis. Mister Destler instructed me to meet you out here at this time. Can I show you the way to the car?"

"Yes, please."

He led her over to a red car and opened the passenger side door for her. She got in and buckled her seat belt, putting her book bag in her lap. "Can we stop and get something to drink before we leave?" she asked as Louis got in the car.

"I'm afraid not miss. Mister Destler has instructed me that I'm supposed to take you directly to his home. But don't fret. He has drinks there."

"Oh, okay."

He started the car and they made their way out of the parking lot and on to the main road that ran by the school. As they drove, Christine watched the scenery go by as she frequently did on many car trips. Soon, she felt the car pull to a stop. Turning her attention forward, she saw that they had stopped at a massive wrought iron gate. Louis leaned out and entered a code into a keypad that was mounted on a stand outside and the gate swung open. She leaned forward to try and get a view of the home, but trees blocked it. The car progressed forward and the home came into view. It was massive, two, maybe three stories she guessed. A beautiful fountain stood in the center of the circular driveway and fragrant rose bushes were planted around the entrance to the home. The car pulled to a stop outside the front door and Christine got out of the car and looked around at the huge property that the home stood on. There were flowers all around upon the grounds and the grass was a beautiful shade of green.

The front door opened Erik walked out to greet her. "Welcome to my home Christine. It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Your home is so beautiful Erik. I just can't believe it!"

He smiled and then looked at Louis. "Thank you for bringing her here Louis. That will be all."

"Of course Mister Destler. You know where I will be should you need me again."

"Come Christine. Come inside and let me show you my home."

Together, they entered the massive entryway. Intricate paintings were hung on the wall. A beautiful sculpture of an angel stood in one corner and a crystal vase full of red roses sat upon the table that was set off in one corner.

"May I take your coat?"

She nodded and shrugged out of her jacket, handing it to him. He hung it in a closet and turned back to her. "Is there anything that I can get you before we get started?"

"Well, I am a little thirsty. Can I get something to drink? Maybe some juice or something?"

"Of course. Come, let's go into the kitchen."

As he led her into the kitchen, Christine couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful artwork that hung on the walls of the home. The furnishings were just as beautiful. As they passed through the living room, Christine noticed that there was a particularly comfortable looking couch sitting in the middle of the room along with a few chairs.

They entered the kitchen, which was just as beautiful as the rest of the home, and Erik moved over to the massive refrigerator that stood off in one corner. "What would you like to drink Christine?"

"Water's just fine thank you."

"Sure. Give me just a minute."

He reached into a cupboard and retretived a glass and then filled it with some ice from the freezer and filled the glass with water from a crystal pitcher in the refrigerator.

"Here you go," Erik said, handing her the glass.

"Thank you."

She took a sip and smiled. "Shall we go to the music room?" he asked.

"Sure, that sounds good."

They walked down to a nearby room and Erik opened the door. Inside, there was a beautiful grand piano. A violin sat on display in a corner. Pages upon pages of music littered a desk off in one corner. He took a seat at the piano and looked at her. "Shall we begin with scales then?"

She nodded and set her glass down upon a nearby table. Standing up straight and tall, she looked down and nodded at him to let him know that she was ready. He struck a note on the piano. "Match that note."

Christine knew this note and matched it perfectly.

"Very good. Now, let's try something a little higher." He struck another note and looked up at her.

She also knew this note and also matched it perfectly. They continued with scales until Erik was satisfied that she knew the notes to perfection. "Very good Miss Daae. Now, let's continue on with a song shall we?"

Standing up from the piano, he walked over to the desk and retrieved some sheets of music. He walked back over and handed them to her. "This is a relatively simple song Christine. Let's begin shall we?"

He began to play the introduction to the song and a few moments later, Christine began to sing.

_Whenever I'm alone with you  
You make me feel like I am home again  
Whenever I'm alone with you  
You make me feel like I am whole again_

_Whenever I'm alone with you  
You make me feel like I am young again  
Whenever I'm alone with you  
You make me feel like I am fun again_

_However far away, I will always love you  
However long I stay, I will always love you  
Whatever words I say, I will always love you  
I will always love you_

_Whenever I'm alone with you  
You make me feel like I am free again  
Whenever I'm alone with you  
You make me feel like I am clean again_

_However far away, I will always love you  
However long I stay, I will always love you  
Whatever words I say, I will always love you  
I will always love you_

She finished the song and looked at Erik who smiled back at her. "That was wonderful Christine," he said. "Would you like to try another song, maybe a little bit harder this time?"

Christine nodded, eager at the opportunity. "Alright. Give me a minute please."

He stood up once more and retrieved yet another few sheets of music and handed it to her. Sitting back down, he began the introduction to the song. Counting the beats in her head, Christine began to sing.

_I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house  
That don't bother me  
I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out  
I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while  
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me  
There are days every now and again I pretend I'm ok  
But that's not what gets me_

_What hurts the most  
Was being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was tryin' to do_

Erik watched her as she sang. He watched her face, looking at the emotion that she put into the song.

_It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go  
But I'm doin' It  
It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone  
Still Harder  
Getting up, getting dressed, livin' with this regret  
But I know if I could do it over  
I would trade give away all the words that I saved in my heart  
That I left unspoken_

_What hurts the most  
Is being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying to do_

She looked down at Erik during the break in the song and watched him play the piano. He had a fire, a passion about him when he played. She could tell that he loved music. Looking back at the music, she continued the song.

_What hurts the most  
Is being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying to do_

_Not seeing that loving you  
That's what I was trying to do  
Ooohhh..._

Erik finished playing and stood up. "That was beautiful Christine. Just beautiful."

She smiled and blushed slightly. "Thank you Erik."

"That's all for today. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Same time, same place."

He escorted her outside to the waiting car. "Have a good evening Christine. I'll see you tomorrow."

**The first song was _Love Song_ by 311. The second song was _What Hurts the Most_ by Rascal Flatts. Check both songs out because they are really good!**

**Please do not forget to submit me a review and let me know what you think. I also want to give a special thanks to _MONTAQUECAT _****for the beautiful and heartfelt personal message that she sent to me. Thank you very much. You don't know how much that means to me. Thanks to all my reviewers! Without you, this story would not be possible.**

**I remain your obedient authoress,**

**Phantomfan1911**


	6. Confrontation

**I never expected as many reviews as I got for the last chapter. Thank you to everyone who sent me a review! I really appreciate it! As for the question I got as to what type of singer Christine is going to be, I figured that I would make her a little bit of a pop diva and then bring her into some opera. Anyways, I know that this is a little bit of a short chapter, but I just wanted to give you guys a bit of a teaser for the weekend. I am going to be coming into work on Sunday for duty so I will probably be getting another chapter out then. So don't kill me! Anyways, I'll shut up now and let you read.**

**Summary: See chapter one.**

**Disclaimer: I think that I've said enough on this one. I don't own 'em. Enough said.**

**One last note: The page break on still isn't working so hopefully you guys can get the breaks in this.**

_From Chapter Five:_

_He escorted her outside to the waiting car. "Have a good evening Christine. I'll see you tomorrow."_

**Chapter Six: Confrontation**

Raoul and Meg were waiting for her when she got home that night. "Well? How was it? Come on Chrissy! You've got to tell me!" Meg said, pouncing on Christine the moment that she walked into the door.

"Give me a minute Meg and I'll tell you all about it," Christine said, setting her stuff down.

She walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of milk. Raoul followed close behind her. "I can't believe you Christine," he said, leaning against the counter.

"Excuse me?"

"Your father has been dead less than a week and you're already acting like you don't even care! I can't believe you!"

She took a sip of her milk and then set down the glass. "For your information Raoul, I do care. I loved my father more than anything in this world, and not a day goes by where I don't miss him and I don't ask god as to why he took him from me."

"Well you sure have a funny way of showing it. This guy shows up on your doorstep, offering you free voice lessons and you just jump on the chance and don't even check him out and make sure that he's not a stalker or something."

"It was my father's dream for me to be a singer Raoul! Singing has always been a passion of mine as well. If you took the time to get to know me then you would already know this! Do you even know anything about me?"

"Hey guys, let's stop fighting now," Meg said, entering the room.

"I'm not done talking to you Christine," Raoul said.

"Yes you are Raoul. Ever since Erik arrived you've been nothing but rude to him. He has done nothing but be kind and generous to me. He offered to give me voice lessons for free! So you can either accept that I'm going to continue going to Erik's home to get singing lessons or you can just get the hell out of my house right now!"

Slamming her glass down, Christine stormed out of the kitchen and went down the hall to her room and slammed the door. Meg ran after her and knocked gently on the door. "Chrissy? It's me. Can I come in?"

"I just want to be alone right now Meg," came the muffled reply.

"Okay. I'm here if you need me Chrissy."

Meg walked back towards the living room grabbed a magazine off of the table and flopped down on the couch. A minute later, Raoul stormed out of the kitchen, grabbed his keys and jacket off of the table in the entryway and stormed out of the house. Meg heard his car speeding out of the driveway a moment later. "Wherever he's going, I could care less. He had no right to speak to her like that," she muttered under her breath.

**(Insert break here)**

"Mister de Chagny to see you sir," Louis said.

Erik looked up and saw Raoul storming into his living room, his eyes full of anger. "Hello Raoul. What is it that I can do for you?"

"You can stay away from Christine."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me. You stay the hell away from her. She doesn't need you in her life, messing things up for her. So just do us all a favor and stay the hell away from her."

Erik stood up and turned to face him. "It was Charles Daae's last wish that his daughter become a singer. I am only helping her achieve that wish."

"I don't know who the hell you think you are but she doesn't need you. You probably just saw her one-day and thought that if you offered her something that she would want then she would just willingly take her clothes off for you and jump right into bed with you. Well, I'm here to tell you that you're wrong Mister Destler. You are dead wrong. Christine's not like that."

"Mister de Chagny, I would not even entertain the thought of pressuring Christine to do something that she wouldn't want to do."

Raoul laughed. "Oh really? That's funny. I don't believe a word that you're saying."

"I don't care weather you believe me or not Mister de Chagny. It's the truth. Now, unless you have something else to say to me, I would appreciate it greatly if you left. I am a busy man and I have things to attend to."

"This isn't over Destler. I'll see to it that Christine never sees you again."

**I do hope that you guys liked that chapter, even though it was a bit short. Please don't forget to drop me a review!**

**I remain your obedient authoress,**

**Phantomfan1911**


	7. Discovery

**I got really good reviews on the last chapter, even though it was really short. Thanks guys! As promised, here is the next chapter, and it's a little longer than the last one. I do hope you guys like this chapter. I'm diving deeper into Erik's past. Thank again to all my loyal reviewers! Without you, I wouldn't even continue writing. Thanks for all the positive feedback.**

**Summary: See Chapter One**

**Disclaimer: Okay, if I actually owned POTO, then my fiancé wouldn't have had to get a loan so we could get a new car. I would have bought him two new cars! I don't own em!**

_From Chapter Six:_

"_This isn't over Destler. I'll see to it that Christine never sees you again."_

**Chapter Seven: Discovery**

Christine sat in her room, working on her English paper. She had only gotten one sentence down on the computer screen. Although her body was physically in her room, her mind was a million miles away. She couldn't help but think about what Raoul had said earlier. Was he right? Did she jump into this thing with Erik too soon?

Finally she gave up on her paper and brought up the Internet. Opening up a search engine, she typed Erik's name into the search field and clicked search. Many different pages came up and Christine scanned them to see if she could find anything. She clicked on one at random, hoping that something would come to light.

"**_Opera Opens On Sour Note_**," she read. The article was dated for three years ago. Intrigued, she read further. 

_Don Juan Triumphant, an opera written by Erik Destler, opened this past Friday on a sour note. Minutes before the performance was to begin, Claire Ramsey, the lead soprano mysteriously vanished. Destler was said to be the last one in Miss Ramsey's dressing room before she was scheduled to be on stage. Authorities have no leads at this time as to Miss Ramsey's whereabouts and have not taken anyone into custody. The performance was unable to begin without Miss Ramsey and there was not an understudy to take over the role._

Her eyes widened as she read the article. _Was he hiding something?_ She thought. It took her only a minute to bring up her instant messaging program.

**MusicGirl22: Meg? It's me. You there?**

**BalletRat63: Yeah Chrissy. I'm here. Trying to work on my English paper. What're you up to?**

**MusicGirl22: I can't work on my paper, too many thoughts going through my head.**

**BalletRat63: Thoughts? What about?**

**MusicGirl22: I was thinking about what Raoul said about Erik earlier this evening.**

**BalletRat63: Forget him Chrissy. He was just trying to bring you down.**

**MusicGirl22: I know Meg, I know. But I just can't stop thinking about it. Maybe Raoul's right. Maybe I rushed into this whole thing with Erik too fast. I haven't even given myself time to get over Dad's death!**

**BalletRat63: Christine, I don't think that you are going to get over him anytime soon. You father meant the world to you. He loved you so much and I know how much you loved him. I think that Raoul is just jealous anyways.**

**MusicGirl22: Well, look at what I found Meg. I did a search on Erik and found this article. Here, take a look.**

Christine highlighted the link and sent it to her. Then she waited patiently for her reply. A few minutes later, a message popped up on her screen.

**DeChagny44: Christine?**

**MusicGirl22: Who's this?**

**DeChagny44: It's Raoul. Are you okay? I didn't mean to yell at you earlier. I'm just worried about you that's all.**

**MusicGirl22: I appreciate your concern Raoul. But I'm almost eighteen. I think I can take care of myself.**

**(break)**

**BalletRat63: Christine, what are you going to do? Do you think that Erik had something to do with this girl's disappearance?**

**MusicGirl22: Hang on a sec Meg. Raoul just IM'ed me.**

**(break)**

**DeChagny44: I know that Christine. It's just…**

**MusicGirl22: It's just what Raoul? Speaking of which, how did you get my screen name?**

**DeChagny44: Meg gave it to me.**

**MusicGirl22: Oh. Okay.**

**DeChagny44: Look Christine, there's no use in skirting around the issue so I'll just come out and say it. I really like you and I wanted to know if I could take you out sometime.**

Her eyes widened. She had an inkling that he liked her but she didn't think that he was actually going to come out and say it. She switched windows and went back to talking to Meg.

**MusicGirl22: I don't know what I'm going to do Meg. But I think that I'll ask Erik about it when I go over there for a lesson tomorrow. But hey, guess what just happened?**

**BalletRat63: What?**

**MusicGirl22: Raoul just asked me out.**

**BalletRat63: OMG! He did? That's great!**

**MusicGirl22: You sure? I know that you've got this big, huge crush on him.**

**BalletRat63: Oh come on Chrissy! You know as well as I do that Raoul wouldn't give me the time of day. He and I are just friends. If you want to go out with Raoul then go. Have fun!**

**MusicGirl22: Okay.**

**(break)**

**MusicGirl22: Raoul? You still there?**

**DeChagny44: Yeah, I'm still here Christine. So what do you say? Can I take you to dinner and a movie sometime?**

**MusicGirl22: Sure…I guess. **

**DeChagny44: Great! So I'll see you in school tomorrow and we'll make plans okay?**

**MusicGirl22: Okay. Sounds good. Well, I have to go try and work on my English paper now. I'll see you tomorrow.**

**DeChagny44: Okay. Bye.**

**(break)**

**BalletRat63: Well? Do you have a date?**

**MusicGirl22: Yeah, I do. But hey, I've got to take care of some things. I'll see you tomorrow okay?**

**BalletRat63: Okay. Bye! **

She closed both windows and tried to work on her paper again. But the news article on the Internet plagued her mind. Opening her phone, she dialed Erik's number and waited.

"Hello?"

"Erik?"

"Yes, who's this?"

"It's Christine."

"Oh, Christine! Hello! I'm sorry; I didn't recognize your voice. How are you tonight?"

She sighed. "I'm alright. But I need to talk to you. Is there a chance you could stop by here?"

"Of course. I'll be right over."

"Okay, see you soon." They said their goodbyes and hung up.

It only took Erik ten minutes to arrive at the Daae house. Walking up to the front door, he paused a moment before ringing the doorbell. Christine bounded out to the living room and peeked out the front window and saw that it was indeed Erik at the door. "Come in!"

He opened the door and stepped into the room. "Hello Christine. How are you tonight?"

"I'm fine. Just taking a break from my English paper. But that's not why I asked you here. I needed to talk to you. Hang on a minute."

She ran back to her room and quickly printed out the article off of the computer. Running back to the living room, she sat down on the couch next to Erik. "I was searching around on the Internet earlier and I found this article," she said, handing the article to him.

Taking the article from Christine, he read it quickly. She watched his expression as he read, searching it for any sign that he knew what was going on. Once he was done, he set the article down on the table.

"Claire had a beautiful voice. She sang like an angel. That night was supposed to be her big debut. I got the word that she was missing ten minutes before the performance was scheduled to start. The whole cast and crew searched the whole theatre from top to bottom. But we couldn't find her," he said. "The night that my opera was scheduled to debut was ruined. I decided that night that I would never compose again."

"Were…were you in love with her?"

He shook his head. "No, I wasn't. She was engaged to one of the other actors. I only tutored her, made her voice better. Why all the questions Christine?"

"Raoul and I got into an argument earlier. It was over you."

"Ah yes. Mr. De Chagny came to visit me earlier."

"He did?"

"Yes. He seems to think that all I am interested in is getting you into bed. He told me to stop giving you lessons or I would live to regret it."

Her eyes widened in shock. "He actually said that? Oh my god! Erik, I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it Christine. I'm not worried about what Raoul thinks. Do you still want to take lessons from me?"

She nodded. "More than anything. I've always dreamed of being a singer."

Erik smiled. "Wonderful. I'm very happy to hear that."

Christine scooted closer to him. "Thank you for everything that you've done for me Erik. I appreciate it."

"Think nothing of it Christine. It's my pleasure to help you achieve your dream."

She moved to stand up and suddenly fell forward, falling in his lap. "I'm sorry Erik. I guess my balance isn't very good tonight. I've been staring at the computer screen for a while."

He looked down at her, smiling. "It's okay. I understand. I've been like that before." He laughed slightly.

There was a moment of silence. Christine looked into his eyes and blushed slightly. She had never noticed what beautiful eyes he had. He never realized how beautiful she was until now. Slowly, he leaned down towards her and his lips met hers in a tender, sweet kiss.

**Please don't forget to review! I love my reviewers!**

**I remain your obedient authoress,**

**Phantomfan1911**


	8. Betrayal

**Okay, I'm really sorry for the delay but here is the next chapter! It's short and you may not like it, but please send me a review anyways! Thanks again for all the wonderful feedback on the last chapter!**

**Summary: See Chapter One**

**Disclaimer: If you can't figure it out, I don't own them! If I did, then I would promote myself so I wouldn't have to take the advancement exam so many times!**

**From Chapter Seven:**

_There was a moment of silence. Christine looked into his eyes and blushed slightly. She had never noticed what beautiful eyes he had. He never realized how beautiful she was until now. Slowly, he leaned down towards her and his lips met hers in a tender, sweet kiss._

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Betrayal**

The kiss lasted for a moment, and then Erik pulled away. "I'm so sorry Christine…I shouldn't have done that…please…forgive me."

She looked up at him, confused. "It's alright Erik. I understand."

Standing up, she walked over to the window and looked out upon the small garden that was planted in the front yard.

"Christine, I didn't have anything to do with her disappearance if that is what you are wondering."

"No, that's not what I'm wondering Erik. I'm wondering how you can be kissing me one minute and then be saying that you shouldn't have done it the next."

He sighed. "You're a student of mine Christine…it wouldn't be proper…"

She turned and faced him. "Alright, I understand. Maybe it would be best if you left. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course. Tomorrow it is. Have a wonderful night Christine."

* * *

"So, Christine, I thought that maybe we could go to dinner and a movie tonight," Raoul said the next morning, coming up to her at her locker.

Turning to him, she looked at him and smiled slightly. "Sure, that sounds wonderful."

"Great! I'll pick you up at seven."

Christine nodded and shut her locker. "Alright, that sounds fine. I'm sorry but I have to get to class. I promised Meg that I would help her with her homework before class."

"Alright, I'll see you later then. Have a good day."

She pushed past him and quickly walked to her next class where she slid into her seat next to Meg, who looked at her gratefully. "I almost thought that you had forgotten about me Chrissy."

"I would never do that. Besides, I got caught in the hallway. Raoul wanted to talk to me."

"What about?"

"Our date," Christine replied. "We're going to dinner and a movie tonight."

"You are? Wow! I'm so happy for you Christine."

Christine nodded and looked down, unable to get him out of her head. She had been thinking about him ever since they had kissed last night.

"Chrissy? Is there something wrong? Chrissy?"

She snapped out of her trance. "I'm sorry Meg. I just got carried away with my thoughts. Let's get to work on the homework here."

* * *

The rest of the day went on with little incident. Once the end of the day bell rang, Christine got her books out of her locker and went to meet Meg at her car. The two girls were supposed to go to Christine's house to study and then Meg was going to help Christine get ready for her date with Raoul that night.

When she got to her car, Meg wasn't there yet. _'She probably got held up,'_ Christine thought to herself. Tossing her books in the backseat, she got into the drivers seat and began to wait.

A few moments later, Meg came running out of the front door to the school. "I'm sorry Chrissy. Mr. Webber wanted to talk to me about our project."

"It's alright Meg. Let's get going."

Meg tossed her stuff in the back seat along with Christine's and then slid into the passenger seat. Christine started the car and a few minutes later, they were off to the Daae house.

"So where exactly are you and Raoul going tonight?" Meg asked on the way.

Christine shrugged. "I don't know. He wouldn't tell me. All I know is that we're going to dinner and a movie. He wouldn't tell me where."

"Oh," was Meg's quiet reply.

"Meg, is something wrong? You're really quiet."

"No, I'm alright."

"Meg, I know that voice. What's wrong? There is something wrong."

Meg sighed. "I lied to you Chrissy. I wasn't talking to Mr. Webber."

"You lied to me? Why?"

"Because Raoul asked me to."

Christine glanced over at her. "Meg, what happened?"

"I was coming out of my history class and was at my locker getting my books when he came up to me…"

* * *

**_Thirty minutes prior_**

**_Meg dropped her bag to the floor and worked on the combination to her locker. She was supposed to meet Christine at her car in a couple minutes and she didn't want to be late. Pulling her math and English books out of her locker, she kneeled down to put the books in her bag._**

**_"Well hello Miss Giry."_**

**_Looking up, Meg found the owner to the voice, Raoul. "Hi Raoul. I hear that you and Christine are going out tonight," she replied, standing up to retrieve the rest of her things._**

**_He nodded. "That's right. I'm taking her out for dinner and a movie. I want her to get her mind off that Destler character. He's bad news."_**

**_"Mr. Destler sounds like a wonderful man. You shouldn't talk bad about him."_**

**_"Is that so?" He glanced up and down the hall. "Is that what you really think?" _**

**_She nodded and zipped her bag shut. "Yes, I really think that. Christine has been talking about singing for a while now… This is a big opportunity for her."_**

**_Raoul pressed her up against the locker and pressed his body to hers. "Well, I have an opportunity for you Meg."_**

**_"Wha…What's that?"_**

**_He leaned in close and kissed her deeply. "It's not Christine I'm interested in Meg. It's you. I'm just using her."_**

**_"So why did you ask her out?"_**

**_"Because, I want her to forget about this Destler guy. He's bad news. She's my friend Meg. Weather you want to believe it or not. She's my friend. But I'm not interested in her. I'm interested in you," he replied, pressing his body close to hers again._**

**_"I want to take you out Meg. Tomorrow night. You and me. I'll call you later on tonight."_**

**_"But you're going out with Christine tonight!"_**

**_"I'll call you after I get back." He kissed her again. "Have a good day beautiful."_**

**_He walked away, glancing back at her over his shoulder. _**

**_Meg just stood there for a moment, stunned. Then she looked at her watch and noticed that she was late to meet up with Christine. But what would she tell her?_**

**_Grabbing her bag, she shut her locker and raced towards the front door of the school._**

* * *

_**Present Time**_

Christine listened to Meg's story, and Meg finished the story just as Christine pulled into the driveway of the Daae home.

"I can't believe that asshole!"

Meg looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry Chrissy. I really am."

Unbuckling her seatbelt, Christine turned to Meg. "Don't worry about it. I have something to tell you as well. Erik kissed me last night."

"What?"

"He kissed me…and I kissed him back. I haven't stopped thinking about him all day Meg. I think that I may like him."

* * *

**Please Read and Review!**

**I remain your obedient authoress,  
****Phantomfan1911**


	9. Feelings

**I didn't get much feedback on the last chapter. Did I do a bad job or something? Or maybe you guys were just thirsting for another chapter. Well, if the second one is true, then here it is. I don't have much to do when it comes to my work so I figured that I might as well write another chapter just to keep you guys from rioting on me. Thank you to all my loyal readers. You guys are my inspiration. Thank you for everything.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned them…hmm…what would I do…Guess that will only happen in my dreams.**

**Summary: See Chapter One**

**From Chapter Eight:**

_"He kissed me…and I kissed him back. I haven't stopped thinking about him all day Meg. I think that I may like him."_

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Feelings**

"Like him? What do you mean Chrissy? Do you mean like as in friends, or like as in you think that you may be in love with the guy?"

"The second one…I don't know Meg. This is all so sudden…I never expected all of this to happen."

Meg placed a reassuring hand on Christine's arm and smiled. "Things are going to be okay Chrissy…I promise. Everything will be alright."

"I know Meg, I know. But enough about that; you have to help me think of a plan to get back at Raoul."

"I don't know why he felt that he had to use you to get to me…I would have talked to him if he would have asked. Hell, if he would have asked me out I would have gone with him in a second!"

"Raoul de Chagny is a two timing creep and I hope that he rots in hell!" Christine exclaimed.

"Wow Chrissy! Now tell me how you really feel!"

Christine laughed as she pulled the car into her driveway. "That is how I really feel. Now I just have to figure out how to make him pay."

Turning off the car, she reached into the backseat and grabbed her bag. "Maybe I should tell him about Erik and I. That may get him."

"You know how much he doesn't like Erik already," Meg replied. "So that may work."

The two girls got out of the car and went inside, dropping their bags in the hallway on the way to the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, Christine took out two cans of soda and handed one to Meg. "Yeah, I think that we can work that angle…Raoul hates Erik with a passion…this could just work…" she said aloud, opening her soda and taking a sip.

"So, what's going to happen with you and Erik? Not to totally change the subject, but I mean come on. You guys kissed last night. Are there any sparks there? From either of you?"

"I don't know. Afterwards, he told me that it shouldn't happen again, but only because he is my teacher and I am his student. It wouldn't be proper. But like I told you earlier, I haven't been able to stop thinking about him all day. I really haven't. I don't know what to do!"

* * *

"I don't know what to do!"

"Oh come now, she's a beautiful woman Erik. You must have some type of feelings for her," Nadir Khan told his longtime friend.

"I do…God help me but I do. When I kissed her last night…it was so beautiful…her lips were so soft, her eyes sparkled, it was perfect."

"So what's the problem?"

Erik turned to look at Nadir with a surprised look upon his face, shocked to think that his best friend would ask such a question. "The problem is that she is my student and I am her teacher. It would not be proper."

"Screw being proper Erik! From what you've told me, you are falling in love with this young woman! You have to go after her! Go after her and don't give up until you have what you want!"

"She's not a possession Nadir, Christine is a human being…a living, breathing, thinking…beautiful, sweet, caring, intelligent…" Erik trailed off as Christine entered his thoughts once more.

"And you're falling for her. Just admit it Erik. You're falling for her."

He was quiet, saying nothing for a few minutes. "Yes, I am. I'm falling in love with her."

* * *

"What about this one?" Christine asked, holding up a dress for Meg's inspection.

Meg looked up and shook her head. "No…too long. You've got great legs Chrissy. Use that to your advantage."

"Right." Hanging the dress back up, she pushed hangers to the side, searching for yet another dress. After a few minutes, she came up with another dress and held it up for Meg's inspection. "This one?"

Lying on Christine's bed, Meg looked up from the magazine that she was looking through. "Oooo! I like that one!"

"You do?"

Meg nodded eagerly. "I do! It's just the right length and I know for a fact that baby blue looks just beautiful on you!"

"Okay then," Christine replied, hanging the dress on the door to her bathroom. "Let me go shower real quick and then I'll come back and you can help me get ready."

Grabbing her towel from where it hung over her desk chair, Christine walked into the bathroom that adjoined her room and quickly showered. "Hey Meg! Why don't we do some smoky thing with my eyes? I've always wanted to try that."

She waited for a few minutes but received no answer. "Meg? You there?" she called out.

Slowly, she entered the room, looking around cautiously. Christine let out a sigh of relief when she saw that Meg was on the phone.

"Really? Yeah, but we have a plan…of course she knows! What, did you think that I wouldn't tell her?"

Waving to Meg, Christine caught her attention. "Hang on a sec," Meg said, pulling the phone away from her ear. "What's up Chrissy?"

"Who's on the phone?"

"Oh! It's Ashley. Sorry bout that. She called while you were in the shower. I didn't think that you would mind."

It was then that Christine noticed that Meg was talking on her cell phone. "So Ashley called me?"

Meg nodded. "Yeah, I ran into her on my way out of school earlier today and told her about what happened with Raoul. She was just calling to see what happened."

"You told Ashley?"

"Christine, she's one of our best friends. I didn't think that you would mind…You don't mind do you?"

"No…I guess not. It is Ashley after all."

"Great! Let me finish this call and then we will get started on getting you sexy!"

Turning around, Christine walked back into the bathroom and started brushing her teeth. _Something's not right_ she thought to herself. _Why would Ashley even care what's going on with Raoul and I? I never even talk to her. She's a friend with Meg more than she is a friend with me._

* * *

"Hello?"

"Raoul, it's me. I just got off the phone with her."

"And?"

"Our plan is working perfectly. She actually believed you. Shall we begin the next part of our plan?"

"No, not yet. I want to wait. I'll be in touch."

He closed his cell phone and sat back in his chair, staring out into the gardens of his mansion.

"This is going to be fun."

* * *

**Please review!**

**I remain your obedient authoress,**

**Phantomfan1911**


	10. Traitor

**WOW! I never expected a response like that from my readers to my last chapter. I am very pleased that you all liked the twist that I threw in. Here is the next chapter. I know you all want to know what he's up to… Well, here's a little taste. Please don't forget to leave me a review!**

**Summary: See Chapter One **

**Disclaimer: Now do I really have to go through this every chapter?**

**From Chapter Nine**

_He closed his cell phone and sat back in his chair, staring out into the gardens of his mansion._

"_This is going to be fun."

* * *

_

**Chapter Ten: Traitor**

Turning her car into the driveway of the de Chagny mansion, seventeen-year-old Ashley Hunter pulled up to the entrance and parked her car next to Raoul's. Turning off her car, she placed her keys in her purse and got out, making her way towards the entrance. Once at the front door, she knocked loudly and waited. A few moments later, Andrew, the butler opened the door. "May I help you miss?"

"Yes, I'm here to see Raoul. He should be expecting me," she replied.

"Of course. Right this way."

Entering the massive mansion, she followed the butler to Raoul's room, where the butler knocked and then opened the door. "You have a visitor sir," he said, moving aside so Ashley could enter the room.

Raoul turned and smiled brightly. "Ashley! It's good to see you. I've missed you sweetie," he said, enveloping her in a hug. "That will be all Andrew, thanks."

"Of course sir," Andrew replied and left, shutting the door behind him.

"So what is the next step of the plan?" Ashley asked, taking a seat at Raoul's desk. "I know that you're planning something big that has to do with Meg and Christine but what is it?"

He sat back down in the expensive armchair that sat next to the window and stared at her, smiling. "Oh, this is definitely something big. I know that Meg has had a crush on me for a while…it's not like she tried to hide it or anything. And Christine is just naïve and stupid. She actually thinks that this Destler guy is a good person. Boy, is she in for a rude awakening."

"A rude awakening? What are you planning?"

"Oh, something that you'll be helping with actually. You're going to get Isabella to meet Mister Destler and have a little rendezvous with him, and Christine is going to catch him in the act."

"Oh! I like this plan!"

"I knew that you would."

"What do you have against them Raoul? It's not like they did anything to you."

"True…but Christine's father used to work for my father's company and when he died, he left Christine all of his belongings…including his fortune…which I believe Christine is unaware of. She is supposed to inherit all this money when she turns eighteen. And she is also in the care of Meg's mother, _but_ if something should happen to her, then my brother becomes her guardian, something that I had to manipulate her father into doing. If Christine dies while my brother is her guardian, our family receives the Daae fortune."

"So you're going to try and gain Christine and Meg's trust and then do what exactly?" Ashley asked.

"I think that Mrs. Giry just might have a accident…thus bringing Christine into the care of my brother."

Ashley's eyed narrowed. "You're going to have Mrs. Giry killed just so your brother can become her guardian?"

"It's terrible I know…but must be done. And Destler is going to help us do it."

"How so?"

"We are going to make it look like he was the one that caused the accident. Then Christine will see him for what he truly is."

She smiled wickedly. "See, now this is the reason that I love you so Raoul. You're so evil!"

"And I love you Ash… we're perfect together. Christine and Meg still think that you are their friend?"

"Yes, I was in place just like you said so when Meg ran by, I stopped her and then asked her about what had happened. And I called Christine's phone when you said to, and Meg answered, but just as predicted, she told all to Christine. They're so predictable."

He stood up and crossed the room, taking her hand and bringing her to stand before him, looking into her eyes.

"They are so predictable. It's going to be so easy to complete this plan."

"Why are we doing this again?"

"Because Charles Daae was a worthless piece of crap and the Daae family deserves nothing."

"Oh, right."

Raoul brought his lips to hers and captured them in a passionate kiss. "I just love it when you're bad. You're so sexy," he said, breaking the kiss and beginning to trail a line of kisses down her throat.

She said nothing and leaned her head back, her eyes closed. Swiftly, he picked her up and carried her over to his bed, gently laying her upon it. Ashley lay back against the pillows, looking deep into his eyes.

"Make love to me Raoul."

"With pleasure my love"

* * *

She was a nervous wreck as she pulled up to Erik's front door. What was she going to say? What was she going to do when she saw him again? Slowly, she got out of her car and walked over to the front door of the mansion. Raising her hand to knock, she was surprised to have the door opened and a middle-aged man walked smack into her.

"Oh I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" he said.

"I'm fine, just a little stunned that's all."

"You must be Christine. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

He chuckled. "Please forgive me Miss Daae. My name is Nadir Khan. I am a friend of Erik's."

"Oh! Well then it's a pleasure to meet you too! Is he home?"

"He is. Go right on in and up the stairs. I believe he's still in his room. It's the second door on the left. And might I say Miss Daae, that is a beautiful dress that you are wearing. That color looks splendid on you," Nadir replied, smiling brightly.

"Thanks, my friend Meg helped me pick it out."

"Well, I'm so sorry but I must run. It was good to meet you. Have a wonderful night!"

Before Christine could get another word in, Nadir rushed off to his car, got in and took off.

Timidly, she walked into the home and closed the door behind her. Looking around, she started walking up the stairs. Once she got to the top, she saw a long hallway with beautiful paintings on both sides. "Second door on the left," she said quietly, knocking on the door in question.

"Oh come now, you don…" Erik trailed off as he saw the vision standing before him.

"Christine…"

"Hello Erik. I hope you don't mind. Nadir said that I could just come on in."

"Mind? Of course not! Come in Christine, come in. I wasn't expecting you. But I must say that this is a pleasant surprise. What brings you here tonight?"

"I actually wanted to talk to you," she said, walking into the room. "You left kind of in a hurry last night. We never got a chance to talk."

She walked over to his desk and said down in a nearby chair. Glancing over to his desk, she saw newspaper articles strewn about. One headline caught her eye. _Opera Star's Body Found_

Erik saw what she was looking at. "It was about a month after she disappeared. They had stopped questioning me and actually started looking. They found her in an unused dressing room. It was terrible. Everyone who knew Claire was devastated. Especially me. I was going to make her into a star. Her name was going to be known around the world."

"Did they ever find out who killed her?"

He shook his head. "No, they didn't. It's been three long years and her murder remains unsolved."

"Oh Erik, I'm so sorry."

"It's quite alright…she had a beautiful voice. It's a shame that she didn't get to share her gift with the world."

Christine stood up and enveloped Erik in a comforting hug. "I'm sorry. I wish that there was something that I could do."

He put his chin atop her head and wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes. "Just you being here in enough Christine. Just you being here is enough."

She pulled back slightly and looked up at him. "Christine, there's something that I need to tell you," he said, looking into her eyes.

"Shh…not now…" Christine leaned forward and softly kissed his lips. He deepened the kiss, his tongue seeking entrance to her mouth. Willingly, she responded to his kiss, holding him tightly. A few moments later, they broke apart, breathless. "I think I'm falling in love with you," she said.

"You just took the words right out of my mouth Christine because I think that I am falling in love with you too."

* * *

**Devious Raoul…treacherous Ashley…what will happen next? Stay tuned!**

**I remain your obedient authoress,  
****Phantomfan1911**


	11. Moments

**No author's note this week. Just read and enjoy this chapter. It's actually quite long. Big surprise coming from me! I was just writing and it got away from me…WOW!**

**Summary: See Chapter One**

**Disclaimer: Read the previous chapters!**

**From Chapter Ten:**

_"You just took the words right out of my mouth Christine because I think that I am falling in love with you too."

* * *

_

**Chapter Eleven: Moments**

"I've never felt this way before...about anyone. This is all new to me," Christine said, looking into his eyes.

"You've been in love before haven't you?"

She shook her head. "Not like this. I thought I was in love before, but I was wrong. This is a whole new feeling for me."

He held her close to him, caressing her hair, taking her scent in. "It is isn't it? But I'm not going to complain. I rather like it."

"I do too."

Christine smiled, and lay her head against his chest, her arms around his waist.

"I don't suppose you're up for a voice lesson," he said, chuckling a bit.

"No, I'm not. I just want to stay here, in your arms. That's all I want. I've had the most terrible day."

"Oh?"

"Yes, Raoul asked me out the other night..."

"Raoul de Chagny?" he interrupted, pulling away from her.

"That's the one. He told me that he liked me a lot and asked me out to dinner tonight. Then, after school, I was waiting for Meg and she was late and ran out of the school like a bat out of hell and the proceeded to tell me that Raoul had come on to her and kissed her in the hallway after school, telling her that he was using me to get to her and that he never wanted me in the first place."

"He said what?"

She nodded. "Yep, that's exactly what he said. I was so pissed. And then, I told Meg about our kiss the other night and --"

"You told Meg about our kiss?"

"Uh, yeah. She's my best friend. I tell her everything."

He laughed. "I see. Go on then."

"So...before I was so rudely interrupted, I told Meg about our kiss the other night and told her that I thought I had feelings for you and she told me to go for it. Soooooo, she was helping me pick out this dress and while I was in the shower, our friend Ashley called my cell wanting to know what was going on with Raoul. Apparently, Meg had told Ashley all about her run-in with Raoul and Ashley was calling to find out what I was going to do."

"Wait a minute? Who's Ashley?"

"Ashley Hunter. She's been our friend since we were freshman. She's used to the finer things in life. Her dad has stock in de Chagny enterprises or something like that. I'm surprised that she doesn't know Raoul."

Erik thought for a moment. "Does she drive a blue convertible?"

"Yeah...last I checked. Why?"

"Well, I was coming home from running a few errands earlier today and I passed by the de Chagny mansion on my way and saw a blue convertible pull into the driveway. A girl was behind the wheel, about your age."

Christine paled. "You saw a blue convertible pull into the de Chagny mansion earlier?"

"Yes, I did. Is that a bad thing?"

"No, I guess not," she said, after thinking a moment. "I guess she does know Raoul. I'm just worried that she went over there to give him what for."

He shrugged. "Well I don't know what she was over there for but she was over there. I didn't think anything of it."

"Well, I'm not going to worry about it too much. I don't want anything to do with Raoul de Chagny anyways. He's an arrogant bastard!"

"Aw come on now Christine. He's not that bad," Erik joked.

"Not that bad? Erik, he's been on me ever since my dad died. Every time I turn around, he's there, telling me that I've done something wrong or that I'm moving to fast or something. God! He's so freaking annoying!"

"Well, don't worry about him. He's not worth your time."

"You're right, he's not."

She looked at him. "I really don't want to think about him right now Erik. All I was is for you to hold me and tell me you love me."

"Well then my dear, your wish is my command."

He returned his arms to their place around her waist and held her close. "Is this what you wanted?"

"It's exactly what I wanted. It's exactly what I need."

"Oh I don't think it's exactly what you need."

"You don't?"

Chuckling, he shook his head. "Nope, there is something else that you need, but only I know what it is."

"Is that so?"

"It is so. Would you like to know what it is?"

"I would. Tell me!"

"Okay, but instead of telling you, why don't I just show you?"

She looked at him, confused. "Show me? I don't understand."

"Then just close your eyes, and you'll find out in a moment."

"But--" she started to protest but was silenced by his finger upon her lips.

"No buts Miss Daae. Just do as you are told."

Defeated, she sighed and closed her eyes. Slowly, he leaned in and kissed her lips gently, wrapping his arms tighter around her waist. She deepened the kiss, holding him close to her body, her hands snaking up around his neck, her fingers entwining in his hair. His tongue demanded entrance into her mouth. Opening her mouth slightly, she complied with his demand, their tongues entwining. His hands moved up her back, sending a shiver down her spine. She trembled slightly and Erik broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. "Christine?"

She stood there, eyes still closed, not knowing what to do. A million feelings rushed through her and her mind raced to try and sort them out.

"Christine? Are you all right? Did I do something wrong?"

"No...Of course not. You could never do anything wrong in my eyes Erik. Everything is perfect...completely and utterly perfect."

"Then, if everything is so perfect like you say it is, why are your eyes still closed?"

"They are? I hadn't really noticed," she replied, laughing.

"Open your eyes Angel. Let me look into those beautiful eyes."

Slowly, she opened her brown eyes and saw his green eyes staring into them. "There we go. That's much better."

Christine blushed and pulled away. "You're too kind Erik."

Looking up at the clock, he saw that it was getting late. "Christine, as much as I don't want you to go, it is getting rather late. I don't want you being late for school tomorrow."

"Don't make me go. Please --"

Her phone ringing interrupted her. Digging into her purse, she finally came up with the offending object and looked at the caller id, seeing that it was Raoul. "Oh joy, my most favorite person. This will only take me a minute." She flipped her phone open. "Hello?"

"Where the hell are you?" Raoul practically yelled on the other end of the line. "You were supposed to meet me at the restaurant almost two hours ago!"

"Well hello to you too Raoul. It's so good to hear from you."

"Cut the crap Christine. Where the hell are you? And if you tell me that you're over at Destler's place I swear I'll..."

"You'll what Raoul? You'll do what? Use me to get to my best friend? You're so full of shit. I can't believe I actually agreed to go on a date with you."

"What the hell are you talking about? Use you to get to your best friend? I would never do that!"

"Bullshit! That's complete and total bullshit Raoul. Meg told me everything! She told me that you came on to her in the hall...pressing her up against her locker, kissing her...God! It makes me sick just thinking about it! You're just a lying bastard! A arrogant lying bastard!"

"Christine, listen to me--"

"You know what Raoul? I'm done listening to you. Ever since Dad died, all you've been telling me is what I shouldn't do. All I've heard come out of your mouth is 'Don't do this Christine', 'Don't do that Christine'. Well you know what Raoul? I'm sick and tired of it! Stay the hell out of my life!"

"I'll be waiting for you when you get home Christine. Don't you dare think that this is over! It's far from over. I'll be waiting for you when you get home."

"Get over yourself Raoul. You come anywhere near my house and I'll call the police."

"You can try Christine...you can only try. I'll be--" Christine didn't even wait to hear what he had to say. She closed the phone with a resounding snap.

"What was that all about?" Erik asked.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that I totally ditched Raoul tonight? He was calling to ask...no, he was calling to demand where I was. I'm totally sick of his games."

"But what was it you said about going near your house?"

"Oh, it's nothing. He just said that he was going to be waiting for me when I got home. But I could care less. I'm not going home," she replied. "You're not going to make me go home are you?"

He shook his head. "I'm not going to make you do something that you don't want to do Christine. It's obvious that you don't want to go home so I'm not going to make you."

"Thank you. I really don't want to see him...that lying bastard...that lying...arrogant bastard! I want nothing to do with him! Ugh! He makes me so mad!"

"Well, Christine, that lying, arrogant bastard isn't here. But I am."

"I'm glad you are here. I don't know what I would do without you."

Erik laughed. "You would probably be going insane."

"True," she replied, giggling a bit.

"While I won't make you go home, I will however suggest that you go home. You do have school tomorrow and all of your books are at your house. Your clothes too for that matter. I can't afford to have you missing school. You need to keep your grades up."

She sighed. "As much as I don't want to admit it, you're right. I've actually got a big lab in chemistry tomorrow. It's supposed to count for half my grade.

But I don't want to go there if Raoul is going to be there. I want to stay as far away from him as possible. The further, the better."

"Well...No...That would be improper..."

"What? What would be improper?"

He looked at her thoughtfully. "Well...I could come and stay at your house tonight. Just to keep Raoul away from you. Is Meg staying at your place tonight?"

Christine shook her head. "No, I sent her home before I came over here. I didn't know what was going to happen so I sent her home so she wouldn't have to be by herself."

"Then that settles it. I'm going to stay with you tonight. I don't think that it's safe to be by yourself tonight. Not with Mr. de Chagny awaiting your return," he said. "Is that alright with you? I don't want to impose."

"Oh now you want to ask?" she said with a laugh.

"I'm sorry. I should have asked before I just invited myself over."

"Oh no...It's alright," Christine replied. "I was just giving you crap. Throw some stuff in a bag and let's go."

"Okay, give me a minute."

"I'll wait outside."

Before he could answer, she walked out the door and down the stairs into the kitchen. Walking over to the fridge, she opened it and grabbed a bottle of water, opening it and taking a drink. She was excited at the thought of Erik staying at her home. It was like he was protecting her...no, he was protecting her. Raoul had obviously flipped his lid. It wasn't safe to be around him alone. It was good thing that Meg had gone home earlier. If she saw Christine bring Erik home, she was going to ask a million questions...questions that Christine didn't want to deal with tonight. Leaning against the counter, she took in her surroundings. The massive kitchen had marble countertops, and all the latest appliances. Beautiful Spanish tile lined the floor.

"Christine? You ready?" Erik called out as he descended the stairs.

"Yeah...I'm ready."

Christine walked out of the kitchen and into the entryway where he waited for her. "There you are," he said, kissing her gently on the cheek.

"I'm sorry. I needed a drink. I hope that you don't mind."

He shook his head. "No, of course not. Shall we take my car or yours?"

"Well, since my car is my only mode of transportation, why don't we take both? That way, while I'm at school tomorrow, you can go wherever you need to go and not have to worry about finding a ride."

"Sounds like a plan then. So I'll meet you there?"

She nodded. "Yep, see you there."

They walked out of the house together, Erik leaving strict instructions with his staff not to let anyone in the house while he was away. Christine walked over to her car and got in, starting the engine. Music blared out of the stereo and she leaned over to turn it down. Looking up, she saw Erik looking at her.

"Sorry," she said, blushing. "I forgot that I was listening to one of my favorite songs when I pulled up."

He laughed. "It's quite alright. I'll see you there."

Getting into his own car, Erik started the engine and waited for Christine to pull out of the driveway before putting his own car into gear and following her out of the driveway.

She drove along the city streets at a normal speed, keeping an eye on Erik's car in her review mirror. Stopping at a stoplight, she saw that he was right behind her and smiled. The light changed and she continued on towards the Daae home.

Erik kept a safe distance behind her. He didn't want to scare her, but still wanted to keep an eye on her at the same time. He was about to pull out into the intersection to follow her when another driver cut him off. Stopping suddenly, he waited until the other driver had gone ahead and then continued on his way. He looked out into the distance for Christine's car, but didn't see it. "Damn it!" he said out loud. He continued driving, hoping to find her car eventually.

Christine pulled on to her street, and immediately groaned out loud upon seeing Raoul's car in her driveway. "Well I have to say that he's true to his word," she said to herself. Pulling her car into her driveway, she turned off the engine and got out of the car, keeping her keys in her fist.

Raoul, upon seeing her pull into the driveway, got out of his car and approached her. "Well, it's nice to see that you are home now Christine. Home where you are safe."

"I may be home Raoul, but I'm not safe just yet. I'll give you till the count of ten to get your ass off my property before I call the police. One."

"Oh come on Christine. You can't be serious," he protested.

"Two."

"You're being stupid Christine. This is stupid."

"Three."

"Go on, continue counting. I'm not leaving."

"Four."

He stood there, arms folded across his chest staring at her.

"Five."

"Give it up already Christine. You're little game isn't going to work."

"Six."

Erik turned on to Christine's street and saw Christine and Raoul standing in the driveway, staring at each other. "Oh this can't be good," he said. He pulled his car up next to the curb and got out. "Christine? You alright?"

"Destler! What the hell are you doing here?" Raoul said, turning to face him.

"Seven."

"I'm here because I was invited Mr. de Chagny, which is more than I can say for you," Erik replied. "Christine, are alright?"

"Get away from her!" Raoul yelled.

"Eight. Your time is almost up Raoul," Christine said.

"I'm not leaving Christine. Get that out of your head. Quit playing games with me."

"I'm not playing games with you Raoul. I want you off my property now. Nine."

"I'd do what she says Mr. de Chagny," Erik said, walking over to Christine.

"Get the hell out of here Destler! This doesn't concern you!"

"Ten. That's it Raoul. I'm calling the police." Christine pulled out her phone and proceeded to dial the local police station.

"Alright, fine. I'll leave. But this is far from over Christine...far from over."

Before anyone could get another word in, he got into his car and sped off.

Christine breathed a sigh of relief. "Boy, am I glad he's gone. I actually wanted him to be stubborn and stay just so I could watch his smug ass hauled off to jail."

"That would have been nice," Erik replied. "Now, it's a little chilly out. Why don't we go inside?"

"Sounds like a plan."

He smiled. "Alright, let me get my bag. I'll meet you inside."

She nodded. "Okay."

Christine unlocked the front door and walked into the house, her first stop being the kitchen to check the messages on the machine. The light was blinking, letting her know that there were messages. Walking past, she pushed the play button and went to get something to eat from the fridge.

"Chrissy, it's me. Raoul just called me and he sounded real mad. He's looking for you Christine. I didn't tell him where you went. I promise. Call me when you get in. I want to hear all about your date! Bye!"

She laughed and took a bite out of the apple that she had found. Reaching over, Christine pushed the button that would erase the message.

"Christine, where the hell are you? You were supposed to be here a half an hour ago...where are you?" Raoul's voice said.

"Far away from you," she said to herself.

"Christine?"

She smiled as she heard Erik's voice call out. "I'm in the kitchen. I'll be out in a minute!"

"Okay, I'll be in the living room."

A few minutes later, she walked into the living room to find Erik walking around, looking at all the pictures that had been hung on the wall during the years that her family had lived in the house. "Who's that?" he asked, pointing to a woman in one picture.

Christine looked at the picture and smiled. "That's my mother. This was taken when she was pregnant with me."

"She's very beautiful."

"Yeah, she was."

"Christine, I know that this is a tough subject but how did your mother die?"

She looked down. "It was a few years after I was born. She got sick...I don't remember what with. Then, all of a sudden, she wasn't there anymore. Dad didn't say much after she died...I almost don't remember her."

"It's alright Christine...maybe we should sit down...relax. You need it after the night you've had." Erik took her hand and led her over to the couch, where they both sat down.

Christine leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed. "I can't believe that Raoul is that stupid. I guess all that money rotted his brain."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so. Well Christine, now that you are home, what would you like to do?"

"I just want to go to bed. I'm tired."

"Alright, then off to bed with you."

She stood up, offering her hand to him. "Come with me?" she asked.

Erik looked up at her, his eyes wide. "Are you sure?"

"I'm not offering to have sex with you Erik. I just don't want to be alone. You can sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag if you want."

"Alright. That sounds better." He took her hand and followed her into her room.

"The sleeping bag is in the hall. I'm going to go and change. I'll be right back."

Picking up her pj's off of a chair in her room, she went into the bathroom and closed the door. Erik found the sleeping bag rather easily and rolled it out upon the floor. Finding an extra pillow, he tossed it on the floor and then sat upon her bed, removing his shoes and socks, and then unbuttoning his shirt and folded it neatly, placing it in his bag. Digging around in his bag, he recovered his sweatpants and slid them on after removing his slacks. Just as he was pulling his sweats over his hips, he heard the bathroom door open and Christine walked out in a tank top and sweat pants of her own. She stopped and stared at him for a moment.

"Is there something wrong Christine?"

She shook her head. "No, but I have to admit, you look really hot right now," she replied, blushing.

"Well thank you. You don't look too bad yourself."

Erik sat down on the edge of her bed and watched her as she brushed out her chestnut curls and then gathered them into a loose ponytail. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," she said, crawling into bed.

He lay next to her, on top of the sheets, and held her in his arms. She laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his upper torso.

"Erik?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Christine?"

Silence.

"Christine? You awake?"

He listened for a moment and the looked down. She was sleeping peacefully. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead gently. "Goodnight Angel."

* * *

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